Location: City of Jersey City, NJ

Michael Baker International designed and produced visualizations to help the city collect feedback on potential adaptation measures for coastal flooding and sea level rise impacts. The city is at risk to coastal flooding due to its location on the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers. A total of 27 potential adaptation measures where identified throughout the City, including earthen berm levees, boardwalk levees, street levees, a storm surge barrier, and ground elevation rise using land fill. Michael Baker International produced approximately 25 true-to-life renderings of these measures at 6 locations. In addition, the firm supported the City and Stevens Institute of Technology in producing Advanced Circulation Model (ADCIRC) meshes that reflect the presence of individual adaptation measures. This modeling was used to increase understanding of the effectiveness of measures in preventing storm surge conveyance throughout the City. The team also developed a benefit-cost analysis framework that will be applied in a next-step evaluation of conceptual strategies. Through this project, Michael Baker International is assisting the City in establishing a future vision of coastal flood risk reduction and identifying the next steps needed to successfully execute its vision.